Rings and Connections
On inauguration day I lost my wedding ring. My wife and I got back on the shuttle bus and my hands started to swell with the sudden warmth. I took my ring off and later when we got off the bus I couldn’t find it anymore. Despite backtracking and rechecking our path it was gone as was the bus we’d been on.
I was pretty upset. My wife, who loves me very much and doesn’t put as much store into attachment to things, consoled me. Her idea was to make a new ring out of some older family rings no longer used: my father’s old wedding ring and my wife’s engagement ring.
I found a jeweler who did this kind of thing: Designer Goldsmiths. It took a couple tries to get it right, but get it right we did. He duplicated my ring! The jeweler and owner Les Thompson did a great job and I’m delighted in having my ring again. The problems were, I think, due to his trying to copying a design that I could only describe.
When I picked up my new (old) ring, Les resized it for me a bit as we were talking. I noticed some business cards of his for a music studio: Cabin Studios. (There are MP3s of music he’s recorded there on his website.)
“So you are a musican too?” I asked.
He said, “Yes, I was a musician before I was a jeweler, but I got married and needed a more stable income. I’ve been working in music again. I thougth I might do that more when I eventually retire.”
We talked about the kind of music he played and then he mentioned, “You might have some of my music”.
“Oh”, I said carefully, “What band were you in?”
Turns out my jeweler is a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, they had songs like “Mr Bojangles”. Les told me that he used to have his grammy in his jewelry store. My wife and I like their music and in particular their album “Uncle Chaley & His Dog Teddy”. The wikipedia version of the band omits some early history apparently. The band’s official history, as expected, is slanted to the current band members.
These days in addition to making and selling jewelry, he’s producing and handling the mixing board for other musicians at Cabin Studios here in northern Virginia.
I really like talking to people and hearing their stories. It’s always interesting, and sometimes I find wonderful connections. There are great stories just laying around to be found.